Sponsorship, not donation: what your £20 pays for

When someone hears "sponsor a community's website", they often picture a charity appeal. It is not one, and I think you deserve to know exactly what it is before you pay anything.

What the money pays for

Every community website costs £20 a month. That pays for it to be designed and built, hosted securely, and kept up to date through a weekly update round. Sponsors give any amount to a shared pot, and I use the pot to fund websites for groups that cannot cover the £20 themselves.

The money is my income. It is how I earn a living from this work, alongside my other websites. It is not passed to a community as cash, and it does not go to a charity.

Why it is not a donation

A donation is a gift made to a charity, usually with nothing expected in return, and sometimes with Gift Aid claimed on top. That is not what this is.

JW Community Websites is not a charity. I am a sole trader running a small business.
Gift Aid does not apply. Because it is not a charitable gift, I cannot claim it and you cannot either.
There is a service on the other side. The money pays for real work, delivered by one person.

Why I say it this plainly

Because it would be easy to blur the line. Words like "giving back" and "supporting communities" are true, but they can suggest something that is not. I would rather you knew exactly what you were paying for, and chose to do it anyway, than felt misled later.

What you can expect

A clear price and no contract. Stop at any time and payments stop.
A plain thank-you. You are listed on the Our supporters page if you wish, or you can stay anonymous.
Honest reporting. I will tell you what your money covers, and where the pot stands, and if something changes I will say so.
No influence over content. Sponsors do not choose what groups publish, and the sites belong to the groups.

And what if the pot shrinks?

If sponsors stop and the pot drops, websites that were already funded stay live for three months while I make up the difference. A group's site should never disappear overnight.

If you would like your money to be a gift to a registered charity, with Gift Aid, a charity is the right place. If you would like to help groups have a proper website, and you are happy with a straightforward sponsorship, this is that.

The full details are in the terms, and the questions people ask most are on the FAQ.